Wilbros Comes Up in Habersham Paper Over Odor Complaint There

September 20, 2013

A Habersham County newspaper article calls attention to a concern about odor in Habersham County that ties back to the owner of the Wilbros facility in Toccoa.

An article in The Northeast Georgian newspaper out of Habersham County references odor complaints regarding application of material on a Habersham County farm belonging to the family of Wilbros’ owner Joe Wilbanks.

Habersham County Planning and Building Director Tom Braswell told WNEG News that he had received one complaint in the last 30 days.

According to Braswell, the source of the odor in HabershamCounty apparently came from a seasonal application permitted by the state.

Braswell said that Wilbanks had all of the necessary EPD permits for the application on the HabershamCounty property.

Wilbanks’ Wilbros facility on Rose Lane in Stephens County has been at the center of an odor controversy for a number of years.

Wilbros faces two separate lawsuits over the odors stemming from the plant.

One of those lawsuits is currently in Stephens County Superior Court, while the other has been filed in U.S. District Court in Gainesville.

Prior to locating in Stephens County, the Wilbros facility was in Habersham County. However, it was forced to close in Habersham County because it was not properly permitted by the Habersham County government, according to the article in the Northeast Georgian.